I made pulled pork sandwiches for my sister’s lunch club at work and people loved it.  One of her friends even started making this on a regular basis at home.  A year later, they invited me to a party where they served this as the main  🙂  (Ed and my brother love this recipe too.)  The homemade BBQ sauce is great and could be used as a condiment or with other recipes.  This also happens to be my favourite slow cooker recipe.  I served the pulled pork on fresh kaiser buns with a side of coleslaw (recipe here) and pickles.

Pulled Pork Recipe (Slow Cooker)

adapted from Baking Bites

6 pound pork picnic shoulder (my piece had the bone-in), rind (skin) removed and excess fat trimmed off

1 medium onion, cut in half and then sliced thinly

for the BBQ sauce:

1 cup ketchup

2/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar

1 can (156 ml / 5.5 ounces) of tomato paste

3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

3 tbsp mustard

2 tsp paprika (Note:  You could use Spanish paprika or smoked paprika)

2 tsp garlic powder

pinch cayenne pepper or chili powder

1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

3/4 cup water

In a bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients for the BBQ sauce.  Adjust seasonings to taste (i.e. heat, sweet, sour and salt) and set aside.  Spread out the sliced onion over the bottom of your slow cooker.  Place the pork shoulder on top of the onions in the slow cooker.  Pour half of the BBQ sauce over the pork, cover the slow cooker with its lid, and cook the pork over low heat until the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender, about 7 1/2 to 8 hours.  Reserve the remaining sauce.  Remove the pork to a large bowl, turn the slow cooker onto high heat, and use two forks to pull the meat apart and into shreds.  Discard any bones and transfer the meat back into the slow cooker with its juices.  Add the rest of the BBQ sauce and mix the meat well.  Cook for another minute or two to allow the meat to soak up some of the liquid.  Turn the slow cooker off and serve the pulled pork on soft buns.